Hungary eases prison visit rules, allowing more humane family reunions

New prison rules MPs passed on Tuesday are more humane and ensure the right of relatives to privacy, according to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and FECSKE NGOs, who welcomed the abolition of restrictive provisions regarding family visits in force since 2017.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee said in a statement on Wednesday that the most significant rule change is that prisoners and relatives who visit them can greet each other and say goodbye physically, ie, with a handshake, kiss or hug.

Clear acrylic separating walls will remain in place, but in certain cases such as contact with children, inmates who qualify will be entitled to meet without the see-through separation during the entire visit once every six months, the statement noted.

The new rules apply from 1 March 2025, though high-security inmates will have to wait up to a year before visits involving personal contact are possible.

The statement said future laws were expected to complement the current one, and while there were “still plenty of open questions”, the amendment “is encouraging and goes in the right direction”.

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Featured image: illustration, depositphotos.com